Riddle for you: What is the largest organ in your body? Your heart? Your brain? Your liver? Your intestines? Nope, it’s your skin. Yup, that’s right. That thing you slather in all kinds of lotions, potions, and products is sucking it all in and soaking it up. Every last drop. And every last chemical concoction. Several of these chemicals and ingredients are known to be harmful to the body, carcinogenic (aka cancer-causing), and hormone disruptors. They are often unregulated and considered “safe” despite the science to prove they are no. A few of these ingredients are sulfates, fragrance/parfum, and parabens. Take a second, check your labels on your favorite go-to lotions/products, and then hurry back. What did you see? A crazy long list of ingredients? Some really hard to pronounce words? Scary ingredients? A lot of stuff you wouldn’t want to put on your body?
Think about it – when you eat, you avoid processed foods (hopefully) and know to look for short ingredient lists with words you can pronounce – REAL ingredients. So why wouldn’t you want to put the same ON your largest organ?
My interest was resparked this weekend while deep, spring cleaning. We purged a ton if items, got rid of old clothing, and put tons of stuff in storage. Our house in on its way to being sparkly and shiny – so we can sell it! While doing the deepest cleaning ever, I found some scary stuff hidden in my closet and under my cabinets. Tons of old lotions, full of yuck. And I had no interest in using them. So away they went.
So what do I use instead?
There are a few good brands out there. Some contain fragrances, but claim to use only naturally sourced fragrances and essential oils. My favorites are Whole Foods Brand, Jason, Kiss My Face, Yes to, and Dessert Essence.
My other super easy, one ingredient favorite?
Coconut Oil. Yup, the stuff you eat. It’s one of the best moisturizers around AND it is cooling and soothing to itchy, inflamed skin. Since coconut oil is hard at room temperature, just break off a small piece, rub it between your hands, warm it up, and slather it on. It’s a wonderful way to moisturize after a shower, or you can even put it on before a shower to lock all the moisture in tight. It works just like lotion – only better and with less ingredients! Give it a try today, and look for more coconut oil details and recipes coming up soon!
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Peace and love,
Jessi
